Construction of superhydrophobic silicone aerogel and its application in emulsion separation and clean water production

Human industrial activities have led to increasing pollution to the oceans and seas, resulting in significant changes in local marine environments. In this paper, an interface evaporation system based on superhydrophobic silicone aerogel and polypyrrole-fixed carbon nanotubes was developed. The water contact angle (WCA) of the superhydrophobic layer reached 160.5°, which showed good water-repellent property. Importantly, the floating layer had the effects of oil/water mixture and emulsion separation. In addition, to balance the efficient steam production flux and stability, the strategy of polypyrrole-fixed carbon nanotubes was proposed, generating the steam speed of 1.49 kg•m −2 •h −1 . In general, the novel evaporator enables clean steam production in the presence of salt, floating solvents and soluble dyes, achieving environmental remediation.